Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Brazilian technical metal monsters Sepultura grew slowly from a devotion to the legends of their genre, eventually becoming the most successful metal band in Brazil's history as well as a worldwide influence. Founding member Max Cavalera sang and played guitar in the band until a deeply personal dispute over management led him to unceremoniously leave the band in 1996. While the other members carried on with a replacement vocalist, subsequent Sepultura albums never had quite the flair or force of those groundbreaking earlier works. The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 gathers together all 56 tracks from the first five albums, including the incredibly influential mid-'90s releases Arise and Roots.

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Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Brazilian death metal upstarts Sepultura took an incredible creative leap forward with their second full-length album, 1987's Schizophrenia. Although it was recorded not too long after their primitive, black metal-dominated debut efforts – 1985's Bestial Devastation EP and 1986's Morbid Visions LP – Schizophrenia introduced an entirely new sound fusing thrash and death metal, and all of it supported by much improved songwriting, musicianship, and the first truly professional-sounding production job of the band's short career. Constant touring, rehearsal, and the addition of lead guitarist Andreas Kisser (his classical guitar training and memorable solos made an immediate impact) were all key to this stunning transformation, but the heightened level of proficiency at hand is such that it almost seems miraculous at times. With their precise, lightning-quick staccato riffing and multiple, distinct, but interlocking sections, the album's opening triplet of "From the Past Comes the Storm" (preceded by a Psycho-inspired intro theme), "To the Wall," and "Escape from the Void" proved simply devastating to the ears. And yet the seven-minute instrumental "Inquisition Symphony" (later covered by Finnish cello virtuosos Apocalyptica) was arguably even more breathtaking in its diversity, brilliantly showcasing the band's incredible, new-found combination of melody and aggression while adding some tasteful synth touches, to boot. Additional head-banging standouts like "Screams Behind the Shadows" and a re-recorded version of early fan favorite "Troops of Doom" bookend a few less distinctive offerings on side two – those being token thrashers "Septic Schizo" and "R.I.P. (Rest in Pain)," plus the acoustic interlude "The Abyss," but only a trifling of momentum is lost, nevertheless. All of which helped make Schizophrenia the first Sepultura release to make serious waves with international critics and fans, while setting the stage for the group's imminent breakthrough release, Beneath the Remains.

~ by Eduardo Rivadavia, allmusic.com

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Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Sepultura's 1989 release, Beneath the Remains, marked the band's transition from third-world obscurity to major contenders in the international extreme metal arena. As soon as the deceptively gentle acoustic intro gives way to the title track's thrashing brutality, the listener is propelled at maximum speed and intensity through to the very last crunch of "Primitive Future." In between, Sepultura offer their first bona fide hits with "Inner Self" and the inspired "Stronger Than Hate," featuring lyrics written by Atheist's Kelly Shaefer. It's not over there as they charge ahead with the triple threat of "Mass Hypnosis," "Sarcastic Existence," and "Slaves of Pain," all of which feature mind-blowing solos from guitarist Andreas Kisser, thunderous double-bass work from drummer Igor Cavalera, and the furious howling of singer Max Cavalera. The complete absence of filler here makes this one of the most essential death/thrash metal albums of all time.

~ by Eduardo Rivadavia, allmusic.com

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Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Sepultura had shocked the death metal world in 1989 with the release of their third album, Beneath the Remains, whose seamless combination of songwriting chops and utter brutality quickly transformed the Brazilians from scene outsiders to one of its brightest hopes. The band toured nonstop in support of the album for most of the following two years, and was therefore pressured by both time constraints and enormous expectations when the bandmembers finally entered Tampa's Morrisound Studios with producer Scott Burns to record 1991's Arise. And though it ultimately lacked the consistency of its predecessor and added little innovation to the band's sound, Arise has aged surprisingly well, proving itself a worthy progression and surprisingly well-rounded in its own right. First single "Dead Embryonic Cells" was unquestionably the strongest of the band's death metal era, and its accompanying video broke new ground thanks to ample MTV rotation. Ironically, the subsequent banning of the vicious title track's video (filled with apocalyptic religious imagery) by the cable network would generate even more publicity than Sepultura could have hoped for had it actually been aired. Other album highlights included such complex, multifaceted pieces as "Desperate Cry" (an all-around tour de force for lead guitarist Andreas Kisser) and "Altered State" (which combines a Tarzan-style intro with a grinding detuned main riff and even acoustic guitars), as well as more straightforward thrashers like "Infected Voice" and mid-paced chuggers like "Under Siege (Regnum Irae)." Simply devoid of filler material, this album remains a classic of the death metal genre.

~ by Eduardo Rivadavia, allmusic.com

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Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Chaos A.D. was the record where everything came together for Sepultura, when they graduated from being an excellent, if derivative, band into one of metal's most unique voices. Their strident political dissidence is more focused than ever, referring explicitly to injustices in their native Brazil. The band's thick, chunky guitars, busy percussion, and hoarsely shouted vocals may be rooted in death metal, but it was often hard to call Sepultura a true death metal band, even if they flirted heavily with the style by way of Slayer; Chaos A.D. is rooted just as much in hardcore punk in its lean, stripped-down assault, featuring a cover of New Model Army's "The Hunt" and a collaboration with Jello Biafra on "Biotech Is Godzilla." At a time when '80s thrash giants like Metallica and Megadeth were streamlining their music for greater accessibility, Sepultura's aggression actually increased along with their tightened focus, borrowing from hardcore arguably more effectively than any other true metal band. Additionally, Sepultura began to draw upon the influences of their native Brazil, audible in the acoustic instrumental "Kaiowas" and in the way the band's complex rhythms move and breathe, to offer a much wider range than any of their contemporaries seemed willing to pursue. The band's songwriting became almost airtight, giving up the breakneck speed and long progressive passages borrowed from mid-'80s Metallica, and concentrating instead on creating texture and dissonance. But really, it's the unbelievably powerful rhythmic base provided by Igor Cavalera that gives Chaos A.D. its knockout punch. Endlessly playable (there isn't a wasted or unnecessary note on the album), passionately performed, and a sign that a new metal underground was finally bearing artistic fruit, Chaos A.D. ranks as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. It's a remarkable achievement not only in its concentrated power and originality, but also in the degree to which Sepultura eclipsed their idols in offering a vision of heavy metal's future – a vision that would only grow more compelling with their next release.

~ by Steve Huey, allmusic.com

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Sepultura - The Complete Max Cavalera Collection 1987-1996 (2013, 5CD)

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Listeners intrigued by the rhythmic innovations and Brazilian influences of Chaos A.D. will be quite pleased by Sepultura's sprawling, frequently brilliant follow-up. True to its title, Roots wholeheartedly embraces Sepultura's native Brazilian rhythms, augmenting their music with field recordings of the Xavantes Indians, vocalist/percussionist Carlinhos Brown, and expanded percussion sections. The guitarists create an array of noisy, textural effects, so their technique and riff writing are not as impressive for fans of old-school thrash, but that's more due to the growing influence of alternative metal on the band, with Korn being a particular touchstone (vocalist Jonathan Davis even guests on one track). The songs sacrifice the tight structure of Chaos A.D. for extended percussion jams, plus some acoustic instrumental work. At 72 minutes, Roots inevitably loses focus in spots, but when the music connects (and it does so often), it carries tremendous visceral impact. Roots consolidates Sepultura's position as perhaps the most distinctive, original heavy metal band of the 1990s.

~ by Steve Huey, allmusic.com